Quick start not enough for Raiders

EAST PEORIA — The only thing that Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda saw wrong with a 5-0 first-inning lead was “there were still six innings to play.”

Mattoon, which looked overmatched early and out of it going into the seventh inning, refused to die and rallied for a dramatic 6-5 win in over the Raiders in the first Class 3A semifinal Friday at EastSide Centre.

Glenbard South used the big-bang principal early. In the bottom of the first, Nikki Simpson singled and a walk and two errors produced a run. Then, pitcher Jill Trzaska (20-3, 15 strikeouts) belted a grand slam over the fence in left.

“We had runners on and I knew we needed runs,” Trzaska said. It felt perfect, like every good practice swing I’ve ever taken. And the way the ball came off the bat ... ”

Trzaska struck out the first seven batters she faced and allowed just one hit, a two-run single by Mattoon pitcher Aubrey Frank (18-2) through six innings. Both runs were unearned after a dropped throw on a bunt.

But in the seventh, pinch hitter Jordan Miller singled and Frank blasted a two-run homer to make it 5-4 Glenbard.

“I was comfortable but it is hard to maintain momentum,” Fonda said. “One pitch shifted the momentum.”

After a single by Bailiegh Basham, Danielle Flowers bunted and was ruled safe at first, which brought Fonda out of the dugout.

“My second baseman [Jenny Wittenberg] is a freshman and I scare her out of her mind,” Fonda said. “She said she hit the bag and the umpire said that the runner beat the throw. I don’t think so.”

“I really thought she had it, no question,” Trzaska said. “And she really thought she had it.”

A wild pitch moved the runners up. The Maroons (32-5) tied the game on a ground out to Trzaska and took the lead when Michelle Glenn singled.

“We had it all planned out, to start early, but not to end like that,” Glenbard catcher Jess Fijolek said. “As the game went on, their hitters called up to Jill and caught up to my pitch calling routine. I tried to change things up, but they are a good hitting team.”

“My pitches were working early, but they just got the timing down,” Trzaska said. “My fast ball and change were working and my rise was breaking well too. We knew coming in that they had a good hitting team.”